Recycling Fire on Madison’s West Side; Never Put Batteries or Electronics in Recycling Carts

On April 15, 2025, a Streets Division recycling collection operator noticed smoke billowing from the top of their truck.

The operator acted quickly as trained and dumped the materials onto the road and drove to safety. The Madison Fire Department was called. Fire then engulfed the recyclables.  

The fire destroyed the load of recyclables, and they were later sent to landfill for proper disposal. The fire also damaged a nearby terrace tree. The tree will be removed later by Urban Forestry.

Never Put Batteries or Electronics in the Recycling Cart

Finding the cause of recycling fires is difficult, and the cause of today’s fire is undetermined. Firefighters found an old computer within the debris.

Fires in recyclables are most often caused by batteries put into the recycling by mistake.

Never put batteries into the recycling carts.  Even the button-sized battery that powers a musical greeting card can spark when damaged and that can lead to fires.

Never put electronics into the recycling.  Cell phones, laptops, and many other electronic devices all contain dangerous batteries that can spark and cause fires when damaged.

What Should You Do with Batteries and Electronics?

If you are a City of Madison resident, you can recycle batteries and electronics for free at one of our drop-off sites.

We also  have a webpage and a short video about how batteries should be properly prepared.

Dane County Clean Sweep also accepts batteries and electronics as part of their program.

The Wisconsin DNR has a list of reputable electronics recyclers as part of the statewide E-Cycle Wisconsin program. 

And Call2Recycle has a tool to find battery recycling options.

More About Recycling Fires

Fires in recycling is distressingly common, including here in Wisconsin.

These fires put lives at risk and can cause millions of dollars of damage.  In fact, fires like this have already cost Wisconsinites millions in damages.  In 2023, the facility that processes recyclables for the City of Milwaukee burned down.  Also in 2023, a facility in Columbia County, Wisconsin burned as did a facility in Whitewater.  And there have been many other smaller fires over time.

As powerful batteries become present in more parts of our lives, it is our responsibility to find the right ways to handle them safely.

An Appreciation

The Streets and Urban Forestry Division would like to express our thanks for the exemplary performance of our staff today involved in this dangerous situation.  Their fast thinking prevented this situation from becoming far worse. We would also like to thank the Madison Fire Department for their swift response in getting this fire under control and extinguished.